3 fan gaming system ds says way too hot?

I ordered a computer from you guys and it is in stage 5 stress testing. I was contacted yesterday by a tech of yours who left a message telling me that I needed to upgrade to the marke cooler or cooler master evo as they determined my system was running way too hot. I had noted previously in the testing instructions that it would be a gaming system normally used to run 2 instances of world of warcraft at once.

The case I selected, the Corsair Obsidian 550D comes with two front-mounted 120mm intake fans and one 120mm exhaust fan, which it claims on other sites is enough alone to cool a powerful system. I was also told on other sites and by many other people that it would be more then enough to keep the system cool for my planned usage. Some people even said you guys were trying to swindle me lol. I don't know about that, but I am somewhat concerned hence the post.

I guess my questions are is it only too hot due to them overclocking during testing? I don't plan to overclock any. And what temperate is normally considered "way too hot" by digital storms standards. I had chosen an 850 watt psu so I doubt that is the problem.

Here are the rest of the specs:

Order Contents:

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D <b></b>
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) <b></b>
Motherboard: ASUS Z87-C (Intel Z87 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) <b></b>
Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM <b></b>
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x (1TB Seagate (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB (EVGA Superclocked ACX Cooler Edition) <b></b>
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: Standard Factory Heat-sink and Fan <b></b>
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking <b></b>
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) <b></b>
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Extra Large) <b></b>
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Originally posted by Purrfect I ordered a computer from you guys and it is in stage 5 stress testing. I was contacted yesterday by a tech of yours who left a message telling me that I needed to upgrade to the marke cooler or cooler master evo as they determined my system was running way too hot. I had noted previously in the testing instructions that it would be a gaming system normally used to run 2 instances of world of warcraft at once.The case I selected, the Corsair Obsidian 550D comes with two front-mounted 120mm intake fans and one 120mm exhaust fan, which it claims on other sites is enough alone to cool a powerful system. I was also told on other sites and by many other people that it would be more then enough to keep the system cool for my planned usage. Some people even said you guys were trying to swindle me lol. I don't know about that, but I am somewhat concerned hence the post. I guess my questions are is it only too hot due to them overclocking during testing? I don't plan to overclock any. And what temperate is normally considered "way too hot" by digital storms standards. I had chosen an 850 watt psu so I doubt that is the problem.Here are the rest of the specs: <Snip>

I have a very similar system to yours and haven't been having any heat issues. (My config thread is here: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/quiet-powerful-future-proof-system-tidf21121/)

However, there are two differences between our builds. The first is that my I have Stage 2 Cooling on the CPU (a closed loop liquid cooler with 120mm radiator). The second is that my GPU is a "blower" style, which directs most waste heat out of the back of the chassis instead of the, instead of a "axial" style, which directs most waste heat back into the case around it.

So you've got two sources of extra stress on your CPU - weaker cooling, and more heat from the GPU. So the ways to reduce that stress are either to get better CPU cooling or to reduce the heat coming from the GPU.

You could switch your graphics card to one with the reference "blower" cooling. It'll be a little slower, and perhaps a litter louder (though I've never heard mine), but it'd vent heat out the back and reduce stress on the GPU. Slightly lower performance, but also slightly lower cost.

The other option is to bump up your CPU cooling to a more powerful unit; perhaps a sealed loop cooler. That'll keep the performance levels high, but cost slightly more.

Personally, I'd be inclined to go with the latter, as suggested by bprat22. As an MMORPG, World of Warcraft is a game that can put serious stress on your CPU (in raids and crowded areas). If you're running two instances simultaneously, your CPU is likely to get hot and stay hot fast. Best to keep it cool.

(Post edited to be a little shorter)

Edited by Counsel - 28 Mar 2014 at 1:18pm

Originally posted by Purrfect I ordered a computer from you guys and it is in stage 5 stress testing. I was contacted yesterday by a tech of yours who left a message telling me that I needed to upgrade to the marke cooler or cooler master evo as they determined my system was running way too hot. I had noted previously in the testing instructions that it would be a gaming system normally used to run 2 instances of world of warcraft at once.

Hmm, I would push back at DS over this. While I do always think it is better to go with an after market cooler, there is no excuse for a CPU what can't run at its stock speeds with the factory cooler. If this was an overclocked system, then I would call it the silicone lottery, but this one isn't. Sounds like DS should return the CPU to Intel as defective can give you a new one.

Edited by danjw1 - 28 Mar 2014 at 4:56pm

Because the Slade is such a closed off case, most likely the system is overheating due to the GPU ACX cooler pumping the hot air into the case and in turn, the CPU is blowing that hot air over the cooler.

This is why our techs are recommending an upgrade on the cooling solution. The stock option blows the air directly onto the CPU and motherboard while the upgraded air option blows it to the side.



vs.




Edited by Nav - 28 Mar 2014 at 7:23pm

I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool DS fan -- can't be, since I've never had one of their systems before.  But I was impressed enough to order one, which is now in Stage 6 testing.  It's almost the same system you have (see below) except I have an SSD and a 2TB mech. drive.  I haven't gotten an email (yet) about adding more cooling.  Or adding anything else, for that matter.

But look at my build's specs -- the third main difference between my system and yours is that I ordered the "H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)" option.  (I also have 100W less power, which might mean less heat, and I ordered "optimized airflow" for noise reduction for about $50, that might also shift the wind patterns a bit, but I don't know enough about that stuff to say for sure).

So, the contrast between your system and mine suggests the following to me:

1.    It's good to see that the "quality testing" stages DS features actually *do* something.

2.    From what I can tell on the config. options for the Slade, your present cooling system is $94 cheaper.  I know from experience that crooks and hucksters want to score big; they lose too much business to waste their time on small penny-packet additions (unless there are enough of them to add up to really big $$$).  I can't see someone trying that over an extra C-note on a $2K-$3K system.  On the other hand, I would personally be more concerned about places that tell me their systems are cheaper because I don't need all the "extras" and "chrome" like name-brand components, or structural system items like cooling.  

3.    After I placed my order online, I called within a day because I actually wanted a different, cheaper mech. drive. that I hadn't ordered by mistake.  It was changed on the phone with no problem at all.  A huckster company would have at least taken a run at "all orders are final, sorry, our techs have already divorced their spouses in order to work on it" sort of thing.  (Of course, anyone who wants major changes mid-build may have to pay some sort of reasonable cost, but like I said this was within 10-12 hours of the internet order).

This seems more like an instance of DS looking out for the customer.  My 2 cents. 


********
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA Gold Rated (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 Pro Series)
Storage Set 2: 1x (2TB Western Digital RE (7200 RPM) (Model: Enterprise Edition) (SATA 6Gbps)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: Wireless USB ASUS N13 (Supports 802.11n/g/b) <b></b>
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: Touch V12XT Aerocool Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade)
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD) . . .
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty (4 Year Labor & 2 Year Part Replacement)

Edited by Socks223 - 29 Mar 2014 at 8:35pm

Purrfect,

We're really glad to have you as a customer, and it's a plus that our team is making a suggestion to you during the testing phase to ensure you receive the best system possible.

The way you have your system configured, the graphics card is pumping heat into the case due to the ACX performance cooler, AND, the CPU heat-sink is just circulating air inside, it's not directing it out like other cooling options.

Our team noticed your temps are higher than normal, that's why we're suggesting to make a cooling upgrade for your configuration. We rather provide you with options than to simply rush your build and let it leave our facility "as-is."

However, it's truly your call, if you rather not upgrade the cooler, we can leave it as is, but we don't recommend doing that...

Edited by Alex - 30 Mar 2014 at 4:27pm

Purrfect, I back up what Alex just wrote. I have a Slade with a closed loop CPU cooler. In fact that is what is recommended by DS on their Slade configuration page. At the time of configuring your Slade you had to of edited the recommended liquid CPU cooler out of the configuration and replaced it with the stock cooler. I understand that this saved you $94 but is this what you really want to do? My liquid cooler keeps the case temperatures in check. If the $94 savings is important to you there is another option. Ask DS to give you a quote on installing a fan(s) on the left side panel. The 550d case has 2 fan mounting locations on the left side panel that could blow outside the case air on both the CPU and the GPU. It will give you some more noise but I would guess that it would be less than $94 and probably bring down those case temperatures. The recommended closed loop cooler for the CPU really is the best way to go but if that does not bring the temperatures down enough because of your GPU pumping heat inside your case than you could also see if a side panel fan would help. Good luck.